Photo Hiking Journal

Owens Valley F/A-18A #162399 & F/A-18C #163704 4/11/09 & 5/24/14

On May 8, 1989 two US Navy Hornets, the F/A-18A #162399 (Vandy 20) and F/A-18C #163704 (Vandy 11) from Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-4 Point Mugu Naval Air Station mid-aired at 21,700 feet MSL over the Owens Valley during air combat maneuvers. The F/A-18C sustained damage to the aft underside and nozzle area but was able to fly 45 miles south before the pilot Lt. Kenneth T. Houck ejected safely leaving his Hornet to impact into the sand dunes east of Olancha. The flight path makes it appear that he was attempting to make it to China Lake Naval Weapons Center, but wasn't able to. The F/A-18A received heavy damage to the nose section and dove into the Inyo Mountains northeast of Independence killing the pilot Lt. Cdr. John T. Ellis from the Royal Navy.

After about an hour of wandering out on the dunes, I came upon the first piece of wreckage. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to find anything being that the accident happened twenty years ago.

About an hour after finding the first piece, I came upon this area where it looks like the main wreckage came to rest. The Navy must have recovered most of the wreckage after the accident, but I have a feeling that a lot of it must have penetrated deep in the sand.

Five years later and forty miles north, I start my third search for the other Hornet that was involved in the mid-air. I'm looking for the F/A-18A #162399 that went down in the Inyo Mountains northeast of the town of Independence. This view is looking west across the Owens Valley to the Sierra Mountains. The black dot in the center of the photo is my truck.

After hiking up a canyon for about half an hour, I spotted this small piece of carbon fiber. This definitely looks like it may be from the F/A-18, but with the airplanes mid-airing at 21,700 feet the pieces are probably scattered over a very large area. I was still very happy to find it, it's more than I've found in the two previous searches for this crash site.

About two hundred yards farther up the canyon I found this piece. Being that it's melted tells me that it must have washed down from the crash site.

Another piece was nearby.

The impact crater made by the F/A-18A #162339. Looks like the Navy did a good job of removing most of the wreckage, but there was still hundreds of small pieces scattered over a large area.

Lot of tiny pieces in the crater.

This was the largest piece from inside the impact crater.

The rocks beside the crater shows signs of being struck by the plane.

This small piece was wedged in the rocks.

Closer view of the same piece, looks like it's from a electrical component. There is a BNC connector marked TOP ANT.

A small group of pieces above the crater. Most are partially buried.

Some type of fitting. I was looking for some part numbers to confirm that is the site of the F/A-18A that I was looking for.

Part of a fiberglass fairing. The DO NOT PAINT written on it tells me it's an antenna fairing.

The other side of the same fairing.

Started finding a trail of pieces heading to the south. Looks like the plane can in from the north.

This piece had a little bit of carbon fiber attached. That's a good sign that this might be the F/A-18A.

This looks like it might be one of the engine mounts.

Circuit board.

More carbon fiber.

A piece from a hatch, the push button latch can be seen.

The other side of the same piece showing the latch.

This piece of ducting is about four inches in diameter. Good thing is that it has a part number on it.

Close up of the part number shows the 74 prefix that indicates that this is the crash site of a F/A-18. I'm pretty sure that it's the one I've been looking for, it's in the right general area.

Looks like a part from one of the engines.

Close up of the marking on the same part.

This is the largest piece of wreckage I found at the site, it's about two feet long.

Following the pieces of wreckage put me on the opposite side of the canyon. The impact crater is marked.